Mattress-holder for beds



UNITED STATESy PATENT trice.

ELIZABETH OALKINS, OF ST. JOSEPH, MISSOURI.

MATTRESS-HOLDER FOR BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,259, dated December10, 1895. Application filed September 4, 1895. Serial No. 661,441. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIZABETH CALKINS, of St. Joseph, in the county ofBuchanan and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mattress-Holders for Beds, ofwhich the following is afull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in mattress-holdingdevices, such as are designed for use in connection with folding bedsfor holding the mattress, bedding, dac., in place when the bed is turnedup or folded, and the object of the invention is to provide a device ofthis character of a simple and inexpensive construction, adapted to beapplied to beds of all kinds, and adjustable so as to be adapted to holdmattresses and bedding of diierent thicknesses.

The invention consists in a mattress-holder adapted to be attached to abed-rail, and having jaws arranged to engage the upper and lower sidesof the bedding so as to securely hold the same in place.

The invention also contemplates certain novel features Aof theconstruction, combination, and arrangement of the various parts of thedevice, whereby certain important advantages are attained and the deviceis made simpler, cheaper, and otherwise better adapted and moreconvenient for use than various other similar devices heretoforeemployed, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in theclaims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying dra wings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure l is a view drawn to a small scale and Vshowing a fragment of amattress and a bed-rail, having my improved beddingdiolder in positionfor use; and Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the holder detachedand on an enlarged scale.

In the views l represents the rail, usually the foot-rail, of a foldingbed to which my improved bedding-holder is applied, and 2 represent-sthe mattress or bedding, there being, as clearly shown in Fig. l, two ofsaid holders employed, one near each end of the said footrail, held inplace by means of screw-eyes 8, screwed in the foot-rail.

The bedding or mattress holder comprises two sections e and 5, arrangedto fit fiat against each other, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, the sectionet being provided with a longitudinal slot (i, and the section 5 beingprovided with a projecting lug 7 arranged to play therein, said lughaving an elongated or flattened head, as clearly shown,so arranged thatwhen said sec-A tions 4 and 5 are aligned they will be locked together,but when set at right angles to each other said sections may beseparated. Each section 4 and 5 is provided at its outer end with abentportion or arm 8, having at its eX- tremity a head or enlargement 9, andsaid bent ends S are bent or curved toward each other so that the heads9 stand in position to engage the upper and lower surfaces of themattress 2 or other bedding, so as to clamp the same securely betweenthem.

To the end of section d of the device is pivoted, as clearly seen at l0in Fig. 2, a locking or latch plate 1l, having a series of notches 12formed in one side, adapted when said plate is swung on its pivotalpoint l0 to engage the iiattened head of lug 7, and hold the sameagainst movement longitudinally of the slot 6, as will be readilyunderstood.

In operation, the sections i and 5 of the de vice being held by thescrew-eye 3 or equivalent device in the foot-rail l of the bed areopened by disengaging the locking-plate ll from the head of lug 7, andthe heads 9 are pressed firmly against opposite sides of the mattress orbedding 2, after which the said locking-plate 1l is swung on its pivotso as to engage one of its notches l2 with the head of lug 7 and thushold the sections of the device securely in position. When the mattressor bedding is thus clamped in the bed-frame, it is evident that the saidframe may be turned up or folded without any danger of the beddingfalling out of place, whereby a very annoying disadvantage of foldingbeds is overcome. The eye 3 on the rail l also acts to prevent thelocking-plate ll from becoming disengaged from the lug 7 when the deviceis in use, as will be readily understood.

The device constructed as above described is of an extremely lsimple andinexpensive character and is well adapted for the purposes for which itis intended, since it is compact and adjustable to bedding of variousthick- IOO nesses and is very durable. It will also be obvious that thedevice is susceptible of considerable modification without materialdeparture from the principles of my invention, and for this reason I donot wish to be understood as limiting myselfto the exact forni of thedevice herein set forth.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters PatentH l. A bedding holder comprising' two sectionseach having an arm projecting at angles from one end, one of saidsections being provided with a longitudinal slot and the other with aprojecting lug arranged to engage and slide along said slot, and meansfor locking said sections adj ustably together, substantially as setforth.

2. A heddin g holder comprising two sections each having an armprojecting from one end, one section having a longitudinal slot and theother section having a projecting lu g arrange d to engage and slidealong said slot, anda locking plate carried on the slotted section andarranged to engage the lug on the other section to lock the sectionstogether, substantially as set forth.

3. A bedding holder comprising two sections each having an armprojecting from one end, one section having a longitudinal slot and theother section having a projecting lug arranged to engage and slide alongsaid slot, and a locking plate pivoted on the slotted section and havinga series of notches arranged to engage the lug on the other section, tolook the sections adjnstably together, substantially as set forth.

et. A bedding holder comprising two sections each having an armprojecting from one end, one section having a lng and the other having apivoted notched locking plate to engage said lug and hold the sectionsadj ustably locked together, and a fastening device for securing theholder to the bed rail, said device having an eye to receive ythesections and also to receive said locking plate to hold the saineagainst pivotal movement when the said locking plate is engaged withsaid lug, snbstanm tially as set forth.

ELIZABETH CALKINS.

XVitnesses:

WM. H. WiLsoN, JAMES S. POLK.

